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Rail transportation safety letters and concerns

Safety concerns

Safety concerns provide a marker to the industry and the regulator that the Board has identified a safety deficiency for which it does not yet have sufficient information to make a recommendation. As more data and analysis become available, and if the safety deficiency is found to be systemic and not redressed, the safety concern may lead to a recommendation. Safety concerns are usually communicated in final investigation reports.

Safety information letters

The TSB sends safety information letters to regulatory and/or industry stakeholders to advise them of potentially unsafe acts or conditions identified during an investigation that pose low risks and do not require immediate remedial action. The letters aim to promote safety or clarify issues that a stakeholder is already examining, and are sent before the investigation has been completed. Those that do not contain privileged or proprietary information are posted here.

Safety advisory letters

Safety advisory letters are concerned with safety deficiencies that pose low to medium risks, and are used to inform regulatory or industry stakeholders of unsafe conditions. A safety advisory letter suggests remedial action to reduce risks to safety.


Product Date issued Subject No. To Related occurrence
Safety concern 2024-03-13 Consumption of alcohol before assuming safety-critical duties n/a n/a R21H0114
Safety advisory letter 2023-08-28 Limited use warning systems with walk lights 05/23 Transport Canada R23H0002
Safety information letter 2023-09-07 Supervision of newly qualified locomotive engineers 04/23 Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway R23Q0060
Safety concern 2023-08-24 Monitoring for fires on locomotives operating in a remote position in a train consist n/a n/a R21V0144
Safety information letter 2023-02-23 Missing audio channel in locomotive voice and video recorder (LVVR) data 01/23 Transport Canada R22D0106, R22V0238
Safety advisory letter 2023-02-27 Deficient track conditions on Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s Swift Current Subdivision 02/23 Transport Canada R23S0009
Safety advisory letter 2023-02-03 Ongoing failures of cartridge roller bearing assemblies on Ottawa Light Rail Transit vehicles 01/23 City of Ottawa R22H0037
Safety advisory letter 2022-11-09 Procedures and guidelines relating to train operations 04/22 Transport Canada R22Q0095, R22Q0062
Safety advisory letter 2022-08-19 Trespassing on the Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s Outremont spur 03/22 Transport Canada R22D0058
Safety advisory letter 2022-07-22 Operational experience of employees paired for remote control locomotive system yard assignments 02/22 Transport Canada R22T0060
Safety advisory letter 2022-01-25 Conflicting authority to enter main track without obtaining a train location report 01/22 Transport Canada R21H0114
Safety advisory letter 2021-11-02 Work procedures for Ottawa Light Rail Transit vehicle maintenance 617-03/21 City of Ottawa R21H0121
Safety advisory letter 2021-09-27 Roller bearing failure resulting in derailment of Ottawa Light Rail Transit vehicle 617-02/21 City of Ottawa R21H0099
Safety advisory letter 2020-01-08 Inclusions and porosity in a coupler knuckle 617-01/20 Transport Canada, Association of American Railroads R19C0002
Safety advisory letter 2021-01-18 Second-train events at multi-track level grade crossings 617-01/21 Transport Canada R19T0191
Safety advisory letter 2020-11-04 Cracked wheels on Ottawa Light Rail Transit vehicles 617-08/20 City of Ottawa R20H0079
Safety advisory letter 2020-09-11 Structural issues on bathtub gondola cars built by Berwick Forge & Fabricating Corporation 617-07/20 Transport Canada, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) R19T0107
Safety advisory letter 2020-09-11 Managing in-train forces 617-06/20 Transport Canada R19T0107
Safety advisory letter 2019-09-16 Potentially defective bathtub gondola cars in scrap iron and steel service 617-09/19 Transport Canada, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) R19T0107
Safety advisory letter 2019-08-19 Train inspection following a derailment with dangerous goods in a tunnel 617-08/19 Transport Canada R19T0107
Safety advisory letter 2020-04-17 Effectiveness of No. 1 brake test 617-04/20 Transport Canada R19C0015
Safety advisory letter 2020-04-03 Enhanced track standards for key routes 617-03/20 Transport Canada R20W0025
R19W0320
Safety advisory letter 2020-04-03 Modifying key train speed based on various train risk profiles 617-02/20 Transport Canada R20W0025
R20W0031
Safety advisory letter 2019-04-11 Air brake system inspection and maintenance on grain hopper cars used in CP unit train operation 617-05/19 Transport Canada R19C0015
Safety advisory letter 2019-04-11 Prevention of uncontrolled train movements for trains stopped in emergency on grades of less than 1.8% 617-04/19 Transport Canada R19C0015
Safety advisory letter 2016-04-26 Protection of main track against runaway rolling stock at CP’s Sutherland Yard 617-09/16 Transport Canada R16W0074
Safety advisory letter 2018-11-16 Clearing trains through Rule 42 work limits 617-09/18 Transport Canada R18H0105
Safety advisory letter 2019-03-25 VIA trains coming into contact with track materials placed between the rails in preparation for track work 617-03/19 Transport Canada R19H0021
R19M0157
Safety advisory letter 2019-03-21 Securement of cars that are considered “attended” during yard switching operations 617-02/19 Transport Canada R18M0037
Safety advisory letter 2018-11-14 Breach in the fence of the public walkway fastened to the St-Maurice River bridge 617-08/18 Transport Canada R18Q0075
Safety advisory letter 2018-11-14 Visual verification method to ensure secure coupling of rail cars 617-05/18 Transport Canada, Technical Safety BC, Canadian Pacific Railway, Railway Association of Canada, Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association R17V0096
Safety advisory letter 2018-10-09 Securement of loads on flat cars equipped with an A-frame structure 617-07/18 Transport Canada R18D0069
Safety advisory letter 2018-07-19 Potential brake valve failures on cars that have been in long term storage 617-04/18 Transport Canada R18E0007
Safety advisory letter 2018-05-17 Deterrence of trespassing activity on railway property 617-02/18 Transport Canada, Operation Lifesaver Canada R18T0058, R18T0070, R18T0075
Safety advisory letter 2017-11-02 Replacement of rail at the end of its service life 617-12/17 CN R17E0126
Safety advisory letter 2017-10-26 Pedestrian crossing protection in Sainte-Anne, Manitoba 624-20/17 Mayor, Town of Sainte Anne R17W0200
Safety advisory letter 2017-07-18 Assessment of the safety impact of road accidents in the vicinity of railway crossings 617-10/17 Transport Canada R16D0092
Safety advisory letter 2017-05-10 Jurisdictional responsibility for roadway markings at Crush Crescent – Glover Road crossing in Langley, BC 617-06/17 Transport Canada, Transportation and Infrastructure, Township of Langley, CP R15V0191
Safety advisory letter 2016-09-19 Response to the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (SCOTIC) n/a Chair, SCOTIC R16H0002
Safety advisory letter 2016-03-17 Crossing Safety at Crush Crescent–Glover Road in Langley, BC 617-07/16 n/a R15V0191
Safety advisory letter 2015-03-17 Condition of track infrastructure on CN Ruel subdivision 617-04/15 Transport Canada R15H0021
Safety advisory letter 2013-07-19 Securement of Unattended Locomotives 617-08/13 Transport Canada R13D0054
Safety concern 2009-12-23 Industry use of used joint bars n/a n/a R09D0012
Safety concern 2023-02-09 Regulatory oversight of Ontario provincial railways n/a n/a R19T0191